Konnichiwa

Konnichiwa! Domo arigato gonzaimasu for all your reviews, but especially for PrincessSerenity324 because she compared my story to Beauty and the Beast, and that is my number one favorite fantasy love story. I wish I could thank all of you individually!! I had some extra time so I finished much earlier than I had expected. There were three readers who helped me with their ideas and I wanted to thank them. I don't know if they objected to their names being online, so I'm only putting their last names.

:A Big Thanks to Hannawi, Gyousano, and Tsukino!!:

Blood & Roses

Chapter 4 – Punishment & A Silent Forgiveness.

She awoke to the lock being taken off her door. She knew how lucky she was that he hadn't thrown her in the dungeon or cut off her foot, or something extreme like that. Scared that someone was going to come inside, especially him, and do something horrible, kept her unmoved. Finally finding the courage to get up she headed down stairs.

Most of the day she just kept to herself. Endymion hadn't come down as he usually did. After dinner one of the servants said, "His Grace, is awaiting you in the living room." She braced herself and entered the room. Endymion was looking out the window hands behind his back clasped together. He didn't turn around when he said, "Sit."

Serena sat down on one of the red couches. "From this day on you are to take the responsibility of a servant. You aren't allowed to leave the house. No more gardens or walks. You will come down only to eat and work and at night you will be locked in your room. This will be how the norm until you respect that I am your husband and therefore you master. Because you can no longer be trusted I have assigned Dimitri to be your guard at all times." He turned around and walked closer. "You will wear the attire of a servant and will act like a servant. Albert will show you your duties."

Serena's mouth had dropped during his speech and after said softly, "And if I don't."

He coldly smiled, "You are very selfish, thinking only of yourself, now you will think and serve other people. Your disobedience will cost your town dearly if you so decided to make another rash decision. Now you will understand that your actions affect not only yourself but other people."

"B-but, it was my fault and I take total responsibility but you have to understand that I only left for one night to do something different. I needed to get out of the house and I didn't think that it would do any harm."

Serena thought deeply about the words he had spoken to her, 'What does he mean? How did my running away affect other people? Does he mean himself, did I affect him?' she almost started laughing at herself and then stopped, 'I guess it could have been bad if I had gotten hurt or something as his wife I guess it would affect him at least politically, but I can't believe I hurt his feelings by leaving. No there must be a mistake there is no way he cared whether I lived or died, he's probably ungrateful that I didn't break my neck on that horse and free him from his unwanted alliance.'

"If that is so then you will be happy that you only have to do chores. Your duties will start as of today." She sat silent and nodded her acceptance. "And you had better hope that I don't catch you outside of my house again," he leaned right in front of her, "I shall not be this lenient again." His closeness was affecting her in ways that she did not want to consider. He smelled of spice and she could feel the electricity between them. He seemed to as well because he pulled back up turned back to the windows. "You are dismissed."

She raised herself slowly and walked to him. Hesitantly she placed her hand on one of his upper arms and he turned around, "I really am sorry. I did not mean for you to be…affected."

"I was not affected."

"I did not mean it like that but…I…" she got frustrated at her lack of words.

He lent closer and she stood there as he placed his hand on the side of her neck. "Do not run from me again," his fingers sent shivers down her spine. She nodded silently and turned to leave. He seemed like he wanted to speak to her more but did not stop her.

Dimitri was waiting outside the room; he led her up to her bedroom in silence and locked her in.

'What just happened in there? He couldn't have meant he was worried about me. Even if he didn't want to say it he would never treat me like this unless he didn't care for me,' she was so confused.

Albert later entered into the living room with a glass of dark liquid on a silver tray for the Prince.

"Your highness I did not think you would deal so harshly with her. I understand that she left but she did not leave with the intention of not returning. She has been cooped up in here for the past month and knew after you threw away the invitation without asking her that you would say no."

Endymion walking to the nearest seat and taking a long sip, "I…did not think that I would react the way I did when I could not find her."

Albert slowly turned around and rose and eyebrow, "She was not hurt."

"She could have seriously been," taking another sip and staring past Albert. "She has to realize that there are rules for everyone, even a queen."

"I had no idea," Albert said.

"That…" Endymion continued.

"That you cared about her in that manner."

He took another sip of his glass and sighed heavily looking into the fire burning in the fireplace. "Neither did I."

The next morning Dimitri awoke her softly with a gentle knock at her door and respectfully handed her a servant's dress while deeply bowing. He led her downstairs silently he opened every door for her and bowed whenever she addressed him. It was a cute sight. She couldn't help but notice how well built he was and he looked quite handsome with his chestnut hair. Actually most of the soldiers here were the same, very, how should she say, 'healthy' and quite good looking and she was so grateful that they were all being so sweet to her, including Dimitri. A sullen Albert met her downstairs and explained her chores to her. The list seemed endless; the worst chore was cleaning the marble floors, on all three levels of the house.

But it wasn't as bad as she had thought mainly because Albert has feverously helped by doing as much of the chores as he was allowed and sneaked the rest to other servants. She was deathly tired after she finished cleaning her portion and went straight to bed afterwards.

She had been deeply grateful for everyone for their help her and was fervent when she thanked them, even Dimitri had silent finished a few chores on the list while she was mopping. Keeping away from her husband, she couldn't help but feel a little sad at her predicament.

'I understand that I have broken my promise and I feel contrite enough but I can't believe he is still making me do this, it's been two weeks already. I feel so bad, everyone that has helped has had such a hard time; they have their chores and still have to make time for mine too.' She had asked them to stop plenty of times but they were all too happy to kindly help and insisted that no queen of theirs was going to work, at least not without their help. Dimitri led her back to her room each night and locked the door. She could hear him standing guard outside she supposed just in case she tried to leave or get into more trouble.

An actual month passed and Serenity was, again, cleaning the Dining Hall floors when Endymion came in. He glanced over at her but said nothing and went straight to the table. He received another invitation to a ball; Serenity and he were the guests of honor. He came up to Serena, "Make sure you dispose of this."

Her eyes narrowed as she nodded. 'You dare me to do it again because I just might you insufferable pig!' she thought as she continued to do her chores. Walking up to Dimitri, "I can't take his cold attitude anymore. I hate it here. I want to leave."

"You should stay, if not for your sake then at least for everybody else's."

"Why? To forever clean these already clean floors."

"I shall talk to him."

"It would do no good, he is too hard headed. I didn't think I would be so tried; no amount of sleep makes me feel rested. He has worked me to the bone."

"In all honesty, Your Majesty, I thought he was extremely lenient with you. Usually people who cross your husband don't live."

"He and you forget that I am only human I don't have the strength of horses." Returning to the lower hall, she had finally finished cleaning the marble floors when Endymion came in…with the wolves. They had never come in the house before, so she became frightened at first but her fear easily turned into pure anger when she saw that the wolves had dragged in all the grim and dirt. It had just rained outside she supposed since it was mucky and the wolves shook off their coats splattering sludge everywhere. 'No! Damn it, I have to do the floors all over again,' she angrily screamed in her head.

"This floor is absolutely filthy. By the time I return I expect it to be immaculate." He coldly disappeared, his coat billowing behind him. Serena never felt so frustrated in her life. 'How dare he mess up my floor! I spent all day cleaning it! And was that a tone he used!? WAS THAT A TONE?!' She looked around. 'That's it,' she thought, 'THAT'S THE LAST STRAW!! I'm leaving! I can't take this kind of cruel treatment anymore, cleaning floors is one thing but making me crazy is another!' She had to leave and she couldn't afford to get caught this time. When Dimitri locked her in her room she went straight to making a make shift rope to climb down the balcony. She only took a few of her most precious belongings in her bag and made her way down. When she hit the ground she ran for her life. Terrified that he might have seen her she kept running even though a stitch rose in her side and her throat burned for lack of water.

Even when all her strength left her she kept walking. She put her hands on her waist and looked up to the sky her chest heaving back and forth and then continued on. Scanning the area to make sure that she was not followed she didn't think to look up, and just then, Endy landed in front of her. 'He can fly or hop on trees?!' but there was no way she was letting him take her back. She ran past him and must have made a wrong turn because she ran straight toward a cliff. Stopping and searching for another path she shook her head in defeat, there was nowhere to go except the ocean below. It was so terribly windy that her dress whipped back and forth. She slowly turned around to see Endymion calmly walking towards her, as if he were taking a stroll, he looked annoyed. Her anger flared.

"Stop!" she held up her hand, "I'll jump, I swear!"

"Don't waste anymore of my time."

"What, you think I won't? I'm through putting up with you." He didn't even flinch but he raised his eyebrows at her.

"You test my patience."

"What?! You think I'm joking. I'd rather die than go back to being your slave."

"I'm not going to save you."

"Yeah, you're going to save me because the only reason you came out here is to bring me back. And you wouldn't waste you time with things that aren't important. So I have to be important to you because you came to get me, admit it. That's why you followed me. But I'm not coming back! I can't take it anymore! I'll never clean another floor in my life; you'll just have to kill me," she hoped that her twisted logic made some sense to him because she was confused to hell.

"Finished?" He crossed his arms.

"Just leave me alone." She said slowly urging him on.

"Serenity think before you do this." 'Was I so hard on her that she would actually kill herself?' Endymion thought.

She wanted to scream and cry because no matter what she wanted to do he would always overpower her.

She shook her head at him, her tears streaming down her face. At this point she didn't care whether he knew how she really felt about him. "You couldn't just have been a gentleman. I gave up everything to come and live with you…thinking that you would keep to your word, I was so gullible." He was just watching her, his expression betrayed his feelings though.

She continued, "So I left for a few hours, does that mean I have to work until I die for you? I was willing to stay with you until I died, but you always have to look at the negative side of things, you couldn't just let me be!"

"I have given you everything. No other mortal would ever have disobeyed me. The chores were menial considering what I could have done," he finally spoke.

"Yes, for someone like Nocturne Daemons who have the strength to do them all; I'm just one person or did you forget that I was human, that I do have limits. And no you haven't given me everything, you have given me nothing but it was not by my choice that all this happened. I have been going along with you. Would you for once stop being so prideful and just look past the fact that even though you didn't want me I am married to you."

The wind had picked up and she started shivering.

"I do want you"

"No…it didn't matter who you got, but it's not because I was special to you."

She jumped.

"SERENITY!"

Serena shut her eyes tight, wondering why this had to be the way to go. Was this the right choice? She wasn't sure but she knew that if things didn't change she would just be miserable for the rest of her life.

Suddenly…she stopped. With her eyes still closed she started to feel herself rise. Peeking through her lashes she found herself in his arms and him staring down at her. He lifted her high and started to fly back the way they came.

She was speechless. She couldn't believe he actually saved her. He read her mind putting a sense of calm into his thoughts so she wouldn't be in too much shock.

"Regardless of what you think I am not that heartless."

She was too scared to speak anymore. She had never been so high before and felt light headed. Wrapping her arms around his neck she rested her head on his shoulder.

After a moment she whispered, "I knew you cared," and then buried her head back in his chest.

"Don't push your luck."

Looking into his eyes, "There wasn't a doubt in my mind that you would save me."

"I find that hard to believe."

"It is ungentlemanly to say that I lied. There should always be complete trust between a man and his wife," tears ran down her face.

Softly he said, "You lied and broke your promise about leaving."

"Are we still on that, can't you just let that go for me? And I did not break my promise I was going to come back."

"And as I have said, you belong to me. Your safety is utmost in my mind."

"If you wished to protect me making me work my fingers to the bone isn't how I would imagine you showing it," she was breathless, "…did you save me because you…have feelings for me?"

He didn't look too happy with the question.

Disheartened, she asked again, "Do you have feelings for me Endymion? Why you saved me?"

"Because my floors have never been this clean," he grinned. 'Damn him, he is insufferable,' she wanted to stab him in the eye for ruining the perfect mood. She expected him to say something more when they arrived at their home but he just left her in his study room.

"Did you bring her back my lord?" Dimitri asked.

"Yes."

"Dead or alive?"

"Unfortunately alive. I will never understand humans."

"What happened?"

"I told her to come back but she jumped off a cliff." Dimitri knew that Endymion never joked. He just walked away from Dimitri's surprised look, back into his dark study and shut the door.

Albert approached him asking him what had happened. "She jumped off a cliff." Albert was wide-eyed and stunned. Dimitri shook his head, "She has brass that one."

When Endymion entered back into his study, she was seated serenely in the corner on a dark chocolate couch looking as innocent as a lamb.

"Men cower in my presence," he said darkly and she picked her eyes to him, "My very name sends fear in the hearts of my enemies. I fight every war and come out victorious. I have the fate of the entire kingdom resting on my back, yet I cannot seem to control one small woman," he sighed, "You exasperate me."

"I did not mean to cause you trouble."

"And yet that is all you do."

"Is that really? Or are you just saying that because you want to teach me a few more of your lessons?" she crossed her arms in front of her; "Do you always have to ruin our conversations by sounding so chauvinistic and stop that."

"Stop?"

"Giving me that look that you're-in-for-it-now look again."

"You are in for it."

She enunciated every word and mimicked his deadly tone; "I'm not cleaning anymore floors."

"That's not what I had in mind."

"NEVER!! I refuse. I'd rather jump off that cliff again."

"I believe you but this is how it is going to be from now on. You are my wife this is how a marriage works."

"You didn't even want a wife. You just wanted to be king." He grabbed her hand so she had to follow him.

"I am your husband and king. And what does that make me?" He gave shrugged his shoulders hard so she was jarred.

"My master, right?

"Ah, so you can be taught."

"Ohhhhhhhh! You're horrible." He walked straight to his room dragging her behind him.

"As my wife you will sleep in my bed every night. You do try my patience."

She sighed, "Please I am not comfortable with sleeping in the bed with a man." He leaned close and she quieted.

"This is your husband it's not just any other man. Becoming a servant didn't put you in your place, maybe this will, you will act like my queen by being my wife. And I had better never catch you in the bed of any other unless you want me to make sure I don't catch you the next time you jump off a cliff."

"Oh!"

He started taking off his boots. "What are you doing?" He took off his shirt and got into bed. "What are you doing?!"

"I'm going to sleep."

"Not in this bed your not, at least not like that."

"Like what?"

"I demand you put your shirt on, I do still have my modesty."

"This heat is intolerable," he pulled her in next to him, "I usually don't sleep with anything on, should I continue taking the rest of my clothes off or will this suit your modesty just fine."

Her eyes narrowed, "But it's absolutely freezing."

"Are you going to continue talking all night?" he asked, exasperated, "If it's so cold then you shouldn't mind being so close to me."

Defiantly, she said, "But you feel like a piece of ice."

He pulled her close and she stiffened. He was very cold, she remembered when they kissed for their wedding and his lips were icy. However soon she felt his body temperature rising. 'He can change temperatures to…? This is ridiculous.'

Ridiculously comfortable was more like it. She had never been held like this before in bed. His arms around her made her feel fragile, yet protected. He smelled like spice and she found herself moving closer to him but it was still hard for her to relax her body next to this new sensation.

"Good night," he briefly broke her trance.

Serena couldn't believe her luck; this was the most awkward situation she's ever been in. Married to a stranger who makes her want to jump off cliffs and now she was being cradled by him in his gigantic bed. 'What's going to happen next?' she thought to herself before she too fell asleep.

Later that night she woke up because she was too hot. Endymion had moved on her side, and he was sleeping on her. In order to not suffocate anymore she moved her body to push him off but he wouldn't budge. In a last attempt she pushed so hard that she fell off the bed. Standing up staring down at him she wished there was a sharp metal object close so she could poke him back to his side but decided that he probably wouldn't be jarred by that either. So quietly she went to the other side of the bed and got under the sheets.

He them moved and pulled her close again, his weight was making her gasp for breaths again…'Oh my god, I'm going to die under this man…what a way to go,' was her last thought before she fell back asleep.

Serena woke up groggy from what felt like a long slumber. She found a pair of dark red staring down at her. 'Is this a dream?' He was holding her close and she was so comfortable that at first she almost snuggled back deeper to go back asleep.

"You kicked me off the bed last night. Did you know that?" she whispered.

"No. I am a very sound sleeper."

Her eyes shot open… he really was holding her, this was no dream. "You don't sound sorry that I was practically thrown off the bed," she said exasperated.

"As I have said, you bring such punishments on yourself."

"You know that you don't breathe when you sleep at first I thought you were dead but then you moved."

"Nocturne's shut their heart down, we neither breather nor have a heart beat. It's one of our advantages because our sleep fully rejuvenates us, it's a deep sleep we only wake when we want to."

"What if there is an emergency and you need to get up?"

"We are sensitive to such things and can send mental signals to wake others, so even if we do not sense it usually there is another that will and will alert the entire household."

"I see," she said very interested. There race was so truly incredible that since she had stayed there her curiosity had only been peeked more.

He moved up and away and she felt a cold empty spaced where he had been making her grasp the covers closer to herself.

"There are two guests coming tonight, I demand that you behave."

"Does it have to be today? I'm still very tired from the past week."

She waited until his back was turned to run behind a screen and put on whatever dress she could grab that was the closest.

"Yes. As my wife you must see to their comforts. It is our way and they are our guests."

"Well of course I will, if there is any job that I am supposed to do around here it's that one," she said over the screen and when finished left with him through the bedroom doors.

She instantly noticed the servant tirelessly cleaning their home, "They must be important people if you're taking such measures to make them comfortable."

"As I have said, it is our way."

"Would you be kind enough to let me go to the ball next week please?"

"No. I have an aversion to those useless meetings."

"Well that doesn't mean that I don't. You don't have to come everywhere I go. You have to compromise, that is what marriage is all about."

"Not this marriage. I lead. You follow. It is that simple," he nodded to her frown.

"I will never understand your ways."

"That is not required. I must go with you everywhere, it is our way."

"Then you are coming with me because I would really like to go and I'm asking nicely."

He narrowed his eyes but he decided that she was listening to him and trying so he would meet her halfway and so he gave her a nod, "I shall decide after tonight any antics and gagging you will not be difficult, even in front of my guests. They expect total obedience."

"Are they strict?"

"Extremely don't talk directly to them unless they speak first, they will think you not submissive."

"Oh heaven forbid that but I'm not submissive."

"You will be by tonight, make no mistake. Because if you're not they will demand you be flogged."

"You're not going to let them are you?" her voice showing her fear.

"No, I will not let them." Serena sighed and gave him a smile.

"Okay then. I will be on my best behavior." He nodded.

"Who are they?" she asked absentmindedly.

"My mother and father."

It might not have been blatantly obvious but Serena was forgiven. I just wanted to make sure that everyone understood that, that's why I put it in the title